Showing posts with label tech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tech. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The Career Path And Earning Potential Of Today's Generation [TECH+CAREER+LIFE]

The earning potential of gamers was revealed in a recent Mashable article, Gaming to Pay the Rent, but it's not really a surprise given what some YouTubers can and do make now.

It's an exciting time for young people. The job market and career paths are expanding. Young people are becoming entrepreneurs and no longer needing to wait or hope someone will choose them. Rather, they have the power to become their own star or CEO, taking unconventional roles, doing what they love, and turning their passions into careers.

Technology has opened the doors and is allowing those who want it to live the dream:

Do what you love and never work another day in your life. Source

Maybe that's why millennials are so misunderstood, often labelled as lazy, entitled, and lacking a strong work ethic. But it's not that. Young people today are empowered, raised in an era where technology is historically at its peak and only continues to advance, making them the most technologically savvy of any other generation.

Young people have been taught the same ideology as any of their older generations have but the difference to note is that they are at a slight advantage because they have the access, tools, and networks at their disposal to facilitate the process of building and actualizing their dreams.

Are you living your dream? Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo



Tuesday, March 11, 2014

School Update - 'I' is for iPhone! - March 3-7, 2014!



Speaking of #kids and #tech and how I feel about it as a #parent... The Letter Of The Week last week was 'I'. And that 'friend' was mine :>

Saturday, December 21, 2013

A Couple Of Cool Techie Gifts :>

Out of ideas? These are a couple of cool techie gifts for inspiration :>

I pulled these from Mashable's 17 Gifts for the Techie Who Has Everything

Keyboard Decal


iPad Lego Case


Have other suggestions? There's more to the year than just end-of-year festivities :>

Share them in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo



Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Don't Forget These On Your Formal Thanksgiving Table-Settings

Brunch At Saks educates us on how to set your table on Thanksgiving with this handy diagram:



My edits to 'Formal' include:
  1. Swap out the cake fork for a pie fork. Thanksgiving is not about cake.
  2. Imagine a stack of pie-a-la-mode plates on top of the other plates with editor's sidenote: 'Generally aren't placed on the table until the dessert course' (hence the need for #1), though even that timing is questionable.

Hope this helps! :>

...Can't wait 'til I grow up and this lesson becomes practical knowledge I can use :> In the meanwhile, I'll just eat pie wherever it is on the table :>

What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo



Monday, November 18, 2013

Another Sign Of Getting Old?



I just read this article and had a slap-in-the-face epiphany: Maybe my kid won't think I'm as cool as I thought when she gets older... As my friend posted when sharing this link: Another sign I'm too old. I don't exactly think I'm too old yet but I'm getting there... :>

The article quotes a high schooler saying, 'No one likes to read that much... Pictures seem more interesting and it’s fast. And you can see what people are doing.'

That's the sign I'm referring. When I was a kid, I never liked reading and that's probably something I'd say back then too [even despite being surrounded by other kids who did]. It's only after grad school did I start reading more— via magazines and about pop culture, design, and tech— and now use Facebook as some sort of pared down newsfeed of friends' shares and feeds from my favorite publications. Now, (almost) all I do is want to read, write, and feed my starving mind for more information and stories. Crazy. Just like now, how I've never been a morning person, but have recently been enjoying the productivity of early morning...

Saying I'm old or getting older is not a gripe. There's a lot to be thankful for getting there and being so. As Mom said, as you get older you calm down. You're not so Rarrrr about things anymore. You let it go. As for social media, sure, perhaps Facebook during the t(w)een years might not be the app of choice but as they grow older, I think they'll value the reunion, looking up old mates, participating in the Family Book, and even reading a little more :>

What do YOU think? Will Facebook be in our future?

Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo



Wednesday, October 2, 2013

My First Python Script

A few days ago, I was researching which programming language I should learn.

Amongst other sources, I looked at this infographic.



I narrowed it down to Python and Rails, not that I know what I'm talking about.

I put iOS/Objective C on hold for the moment. I have an idea and don't need mobile quite yet. Web app is where I need/want to start.

So, I decided on trying my hand at Python. I heard it's a little easier to learn and Google uses it. I like Google.

I'm trying the Learn Python The Hard Way course and just finished Exercise 1: A Good First Program. My engineering studies helped me get through Exercise 0 without struggle. Yay Unix! mkdir, ls, cd!

Here's my very first Python script.



And here are the results.



No errors.

So far so good.

I don't know how to run just one line though.

O well. I'll get there.

What have YOU been learning lately?

Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo



Thursday, September 26, 2013

Common Attributes Of Successful Start-Ups - Stanford's Technology Entrepreneurship (Assignment 2)


Attributes of Successful Start-ups (Assignment 2) Click to vote up 





1) Market Need: The ability to fulfill a need OR generate one.
2) Total Available Market, or the reach of the product: The more universal(ly applicable) the product is, the more likely it can gain traction/use/acceptance and therefore succeed.
3) Value Proposition: Separate from market-need, this addresses the actual value the product/service has to offer, and what it's worth to the consumer/purchaser.
4) Innovation: This could include building a novel product/service OR building upon/improving ones that already exist. 
5) Cost/Pricing, Ability to generate revenue: For most, to survive, the start-up needs to generate revenue on its own and/or be bought out, generating revenue via the new parent company. Pricing has to be finely tuned to maximize profit and cost has to be kept to a minimum yet not too low that it will be a detriment to the product/service.
6) Access to Capital: To scale beyond a typical angel-funded startup, it needs quick access to the capital and that is where VCs come in. It is very difficult to take the startup beyond incubation without those millions.
7) Company - Talent (inc. experience and knowledge), culture, leadership.
8) Open-mindedness, ability to put the consumer first - This may seem obvious but, I think, especially in the early stages, it might not be. The typical scene starts with an idea and a limited number of brains/views behind it. The creators need to keep a broad perspective of their users and different perspectives, and be able to implement its users'/consumers' feedback to continue to improve the product, satisfaction, and growth.


What else can you add to this list? Share below in the Comments, we'd love to learn more! :> :> xoxo



Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Technology Entrepreneurship Part 1 - Assignment 1


This is my submission for Assignment 1  Why Do Startups Succeed When Others Fail?  of Stanford's Technology Entrepreneurship Part I.

Description

Special Instructions

Identify the start-up (name): Evernote


Describe the business (what it provides or produces) and how it is successful (number of users, market share, revenue).

‘Evernote is a suite of software and services designed for notetaking and archiving.’ [Wikipedia]. Their tagline is ‘Remember everything’. Notes can be organized, tagged, shared, searched, and commented on; and can consist of webpage clips, snap shots, audio recordings, typed notes, and even written notes. It is available on multiple platforms and for syncing to the cloud.
Funding $251M in venture backing
Number of Users: 65 million [according to maclife.com, http://shar.es/i8iEe]

Revenue: $45/year per premium user (offers freemium usage as well).
Estimated valuation: $1 Billion
Market Share: [via Onavo] US iPhone Market Share (defined as the number of US iPhone users that opened the app): 4.59%


List five specific, detailed reasons for its success.
1.   Universally useful – Human memory is limited and most humans need help remembering things—all sorts of things, from grocery lists to business plan execution tasks and beyond. This app can be useful to practically everyone in numerous contexts.
2.   Supports multiple platforms and syncs to cloud – Having the app/service open to multiple platforms allows for a wider audience of users. Having the data be able to sync makes the app more powerful and convenient.
3.   Features – The features are constantly updating, increasing the app’s robustness. Included, are the number of options for organizing, which is a fundamental functionality when you are gathering a lot of ‘notes’ from a lot of different sources to be used in a lot of different contexts. What good is it to keep something (a note, say) if you can’t find it? As such, Evernote understands the core need and user.
4.   Social Media and Partnering – Evernote is very active with its community.  They maintain Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube accounts, and their own blogs; they host events; they partner with other companies and apps, which spreads the word, taps into expanding audiences, and makes their app(s) even more robust. On a side note, I think their designs and website are well-crafted and uphold a solid image of the company for the public.
5.   Company Culture – I am a believer that a company is just as responsible for performance as you are. I think a company that really puts time into and builds a culture that they envision (vs. just talking about it) fosters better productivity and thereby better quality of work. Evernote does this with its unconventional style of running their internal offices. Phil Libin gets it and puts it in action—and I think he’s really seeing results. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/business/phil-libin-of-evernote-on-its-unusual-corporate-culture.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0



School-Week Photos And Summaries Via Prezi :>

I've been getting a lot emails from Nui Nui's new school, which I am admittedly not used to. It's not that I can't handle a ton of email but.. I don't know what it is. I just don't get to all of them immediately and realized the significance so am slapping the back of my hand for it.

So! Nui Nui's school actually uses Prezi, which I am familiar with from my last job. Prezi is basically a schmancy presentation app that uses Flash and a ZUI (Zooming User Interface), which allows the motion of zoom in and out of different parts. Personally, I think it's nauseating to flip through (and I'm not the only one who thinks so) but I'm not complaining either.

So, what's cool about this new school is that they actively take pics of the kids, document what they did each day, and summarize it beautifully in a Prezi. How awesome is that? Now, I've heard of texting or emailing pics of the kids throughout the day or week at other schools but this is nice. Schmancy, even. I'm wondering if other schools do this— comment below if they do. If not, WHY DON'T THEY? I seriously have a deep-found respect for those that utilize technology to enhance the learning/educational experience. Seriously.

So here's the overview. The small circles are placements for the photos (which I didn't include).



And here's individual pics I pulled of Nui Nui.



So cool.

What cool things is your school doing?

Share in the Comments below, we'd LOVE to hear! :> xoxo



Sunday, September 15, 2013

Seasonal Apples And Pears For Thoughts

Looking for a cool gift or decorating idea for this coming fall? Check out these fruity fun!

Source

They're notepads! Go figure :>



And here's where you can get them :> D-Bros Shop.

I heart design and all things creative.

Share your creative design favorites in the Comments below and we'd love to check them out! :> xoxo.



Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Future Of Higher Education? Disrupt! **HealthyButJuicy Teaser**

Being unemployed with two degrees from an Ivy League institution, healthy, and juicy, this really hit home...



Read the full post and my comments on HealthyButJuicy!

Share your thoughts about this over there or here, whichever, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo



Friday, September 6, 2013

Yahoo's New Logo Unveiled!

CEO Marissa Mayer 'geeks out' on Yahoo's newly unveiled logo.



Here are the design notes behind the change...



And an accompanying video animation...



Despite my agreement that sans serif does give a fresher, more modern look, I actually miss the serif that gave the now-old (18 years, if you're counting) version some character. While the video made the new logo look like it'd be cool (yay, video, well played! :>), I personally think the final version, embossed, is overly simple, like a WordArt creation. More notably, I think it looks too stick-figurishly weak.

But that's just me. What do YOU think about Yahoo's newest logo? (Old vs. new below).



Share in the Comments below or Tweet/Instagram us your opinions, we'd love to hear! :> :> xoxo

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Stanford's Coding Together Assignment 1: Matchisimo - Is Done Done And Done! :>

I just finished Stanford's Coding Together Assignment: 1 - Matchisimo!

Below is a snap shot of what my view from Xcode/iOS Simulator looks like, along with a closeup of the simulator and some of its code.





Below is the code for my implementation files: CardMatchingGame.m and CardGameViewController.m.



//
//  CardMatchingGame.m
//  Matchisimo
//
//  Created by Marguerita de Senna on 8/14/13.
//  Copyright (c) 2013 Marguerita de Senna. All rights reserved.
//

#import "CardMatchingGame.h"

@interface CardMatchingGame()
@property (readwrite, nonatomic) int score;
@property (strong, nonatomic) NSMutableArray *cards; //of Card
@property (readwrite, nonatomic) NSString *flipResultStr;
@property (readwrite, nonatomic) NSUInteger gameMatchType; //describes how many cards to match
@end


@implementation CardMatchingGame


- (NSMutableArray *) cards {
    if (!_cards){
        _cards = [[NSMutableArray alloc] init];
    }
    return _cards;
        
}

#define MATCH_BONUS 4
#define MISMATCH_PENALTY 2
#define FLIP_COST 1
#define MATCH_BONUS_THREE 8

- (void)flipCardAtIndex:(NSUInteger)index
{
    //card trying to flip
    Card *card = [self cardAtIndex:index];
    //int counter = 1;

    if (card && !card.isUnplayable){
        self.flipResultStr = [@"Found " stringByAppendingString:card.contents];
        if (!card.isFaceUp){
            for(Card *otherCard in self.cards) {
                if (otherCard.isFaceUp && !otherCard.isUnplayable) {
                    int matchScore = [card match:@[otherCard]];
                    if (matchScore) {
                        card.Unplayable = YES;
                        otherCard.Unplayable = YES;
                        
                        self.score += matchScore * MATCH_BONUS;
                        self.flipResultStr = [card.contents stringByAppendingFormat:@" & %@ MATCHED for %d points!", otherCard.contents, MATCH_BONUS];
    
                    } else {
                        otherCard.faceUp = NO;
                        self.score -= MISMATCH_PENALTY;
                        self.flipResultStr = [card.contents stringByAppendingFormat:@" & %@ DON'T MATCH! %d point penalty!", otherCard.contents, MISMATCH_PENALTY];
                    }
                    break;
                }
            }
            self.score -= FLIP_COST;
        }
        if (card.isFaceUp) {
            self.flipResultStr = @"Keep trying!";
        }
        card.faceUp = !card.isFaceUp;
    }
}





- (void)setGameMatchType:(NSUInteger)gameMatchType {
    _gameMatchType = gameMatchType;
}

-(NSUInteger)getGameMatchType {
    return self.gameMatchType;
}


- (Card *)cardAtIndex:(NSUInteger)index;
{
    return (index < [self.cards count]) ? self.cards[index] : nil;
}


- (id)initWithCardCount:(NSUInteger)count
              usingDeck:(Deck *)deck;
{
    self = [super init];
    
    if(self){
        for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
            Card *card = [deck drawRandomCard];
            if (!card){
                self=nil;
            }
            else {
                self.cards[i]=card;
            }
        }
    }
    
    self.gameMatchType = 2;
    return self;
}


@end

--------------------------

//
//  CardGameViewController.m
//  Matchisimo
//
//  Created by Marguerita de Senna on 8/13/13.
//  Copyright (c) 2013 Marguerita de Senna. All rights reserved.
//

#import "CardGameViewController.h"
#import "PlayingCardDeck.h"
#import "CardMatchingGame.h"

@interface CardGameViewController ()
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *flipsLabel;
@property (nonatomic) int flipCount;
@property (strong, nonatomic) IBOutletCollection(UIButton) NSArray *cardButtons;
@property (strong, nonatomic) CardMatchingGame *game;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *scoreLabel;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *flipResultLabel;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UISegmentedControl *segmentedControl;
@property (nonatomic) int gameType;
@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UILabel *matchTypeLabel;
@end

@implementation CardGameViewController


- (CardMatchingGame *)game
{
    if(!_game) _game = [[CardMatchingGame alloc] initWithCardCount:[self.cardButtons count] usingDeck:[[PlayingCardDeck alloc] init]];
    return _game;
}



- (void)setCardButtons:(NSArray *)cardButtons
{
    _cardButtons = cardButtons;
    [self updateUI];
}

- (void) updateUI
{
    
    for (UIButton *cardButton in self.cardButtons){
        Card *card = [self.game cardAtIndex:[self.cardButtons indexOfObject:cardButton]];
        [cardButton setTitle:card.contents forState:UIControlStateSelected];
        [cardButton setTitle:card.contents forState:UIControlStateSelected|UIControlStateDisabled];
        cardButton.selected = card.isFaceUp;
        cardButton.enabled = !card.isUnplayable;
        cardButton.alpha = (card.isUnplayable ? 0.3 : 1.0);
        
        if(!cardButton.isSelected && cardButton.isEnabled){
            [cardButton setImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"cardback.jpg"] forState:UIControlStateNormal];
        } else {
            [cardButton setImage:nil forState:UIControlStateNormal];
        }
        
                
    }
    self.scoreLabel.text = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Score: %d", self.game.score];
    self.flipResultLabel.text = self.game.flipResultStr;
}




- (void) setFlipCount:(int)flipCount
{
    _flipCount = flipCount;
    self.flipsLabel.text = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"Flips: %d", self.flipCount];
}

- (IBAction)flipCard:(UIButton *)sender
{    
    [self.segmentedControl setEnabled:NO forSegmentAtIndex:0];
    [self.segmentedControl setEnabled:NO forSegmentAtIndex:1];
    
    [self.game flipCardAtIndex:[self.cardButtons indexOfObject:sender]];

  
    
    self.flipCount++;
    [self updateUI];
}


- (IBAction)dealButton:(UIButton *)sender {
    self.game = [[CardMatchingGame alloc] initWithCardCount:[self.cardButtons count] usingDeck:[[PlayingCardDeck alloc] init]];
    self.flipCount = 0;
    self.scoreLabel.text = @"Score: 0";
    self.flipResultLabel.text = @"Welcome to Matchismo!";
    
    for (UIButton *cardButton in self.cardButtons){
        cardButton.selected = NO;
        cardButton.enabled = YES;
        cardButton.alpha = 1.0;
    }
    [self.segmentedControl setEnabled:YES forSegmentAtIndex:0];
    [self.segmentedControl setEnabled:YES forSegmentAtIndex:1];
    [self updateUI];
}

//Match 2, Match 3
- (IBAction)gameSwitch:(UISegmentedControl *)sender
{
    if (self.segmentedControl.selectedSegmentIndex == 0) {
        self.matchTypeLabel.text = @"Matching 2";
        [self.segmentedControl setEnabled:NO forSegmentAtIndex:0];
        [self.segmentedControl setEnabled:NO forSegmentAtIndex:1];
        [self.game setGameMatchType:2];
    }
    if (self.segmentedControl.selectedSegmentIndex == 1) {
        self.matchTypeLabel.text = @"Matching 3";
        [self.segmentedControl setEnabled:NO forSegmentAtIndex:0];
        [self.segmentedControl setEnabled:NO forSegmentAtIndex:1];
        [self.game setGameMatchType:3];
    }
    
}

@end



I am well aware there are probably better ways to do this but, hey, it works (I think) :>

What fun projects have you accomplished or cool things have you learned lately? Share in the Comments or Tweet/Instagram us, we'd love to hear! :> :> xoxo


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